Side by Side
by deadly-tues-days-not in use
Summary: if only rukias love could save ichigo. if only uryuus loyalty could stitch together ichigos wounds. [ichiruki]


**_a/n- ive had this completed for a loooong time but never got around to publishing. and to all the people who took time to read this and my previous bleach works- it means so much. thank you! enjoy!_**

 ** _disclaimer- bl e a c h i s n o t m in e_**

 _his deep blue gaze darted across the terrian, worry becoming evident as he assessed the situation in front of him. a situation hed much rather have avoided for his eyes landed on his target and the raven actually wished hed been tasked with defeating the hollow. he knew he should be careful what he wished for but it seemed nothing could be worse than this. and his friends condition wasnt the only problem. besides the fact that he was late for battle yet again, he knew his other companion would take this unfolding nightmare much worse than himself. what was friend to lover? not a soul admits it but everyone has these priorities._

 _"ichigo!" ishida forced out, pushing himself forward as the distance between him and the substitute shingami closed._

 _"ichigo! ichigo hang on! itll be fine!"_

 _the quincy knew good and well his words were useless. it was a chance to make himself feel better and he took it despite his self rule to never fall into the wrong of philosophy. lying to yourself. being the top in the class had its rather odd prices._

 _he still ran. uryu ran as fast as physically possible. no matter how much distance he covered it still didnt seem to be enough. it was like magic. not a far fetched idea in considerance of what this town and its inhabitants had been through. it almost seemed like one of those fairytales. especially since his friends always won. always pulled through regardless the circumstances. always a happy ending. or so it seemed because now a fairytale that was ichigos existence was coming to an end neither his friends nor family expected. this wasnt like the fairytales theyd lived through until now._

 _"ichigo!" the quincy called out once more, certain he could hear anothers footsteps over his own._

 _rukia. she won. the first thought that popped into place was a happier one and he wished he could remain that way. happy. the second thought was much worse. as dark as the night sky above. he didnt only hear rukia. he heard ichigo too. and he couldnt help but wince himself as the orange headed shinigamis pained gasping broke through the once still air._

 _"uryu? uryu please... i- im i- i messed up." kurosaki stammered, his pain glazed oculars locked on the quincy as uryu fell to the dirt beside him._

 _"hey! just shut up for once! youll be fine just keep quiet and dont move. can you manage to do that without screwing up?"_

 _"uryu-"_

 _"listen! just keep your eyes open- watch me. shut up. dont move. shouldnt be that hard."_

 _and as a second distressed voice continued on the realization that it was kuchiki, not himself, that cut ichigo off stabbed him in the chest. the second knife that had impaled his already injured heart with no fair warning._

 _sometimes he wished he was deaf. or rather that he could just choose not to hear some things. such as those painfully awkward conversations hes walked in on over the years as a physicians child. or perhaps the constant rumors about himself as well as ichigo, orihime, rukia, and chad. or maybe simply just so he didnt have to hear this. hed give his life not to have to hear that specific arrangement of words._

 _"too much blood... my kido! ichigo im sorry- i just- i need help! i cant do it!"_

 _she needed help. hed help her with anything but this. or rather it was the fact that he had the capability of helping with anything but this. this was the only time he would truthfully rather be a shinigami. as a quincy there wasnt a thing he could do but watch. but listen._

 _"ishida! ishida help! i- i need cloth- bandages... anything! fast!"_

 _and he listened to kuchikis wavering voice. she was crying._

 _"ishida please! please! dont you care? come on i- hes... would you please?"_

 _and he listened to kurosakis shaky breaths. he was dying._

 _but maybe that wasnt the worst thing that ever reached his ears. what he heard while frantically unbuttoning his pristine white shirt at rukias request had to take that reserved spot._

 _"d-dont... dont help me. i- i just wa-want to say... s-say something."_

 _but it was too late. his treasured attire had been pressed to the deep gash in the substitute shingamis abdomen and now hed have to live with that stain on his clothes and his heart._

 _he never wanted to fall into this pathetic category but maybe hed blame her. no. uryu wouldnt blame her for trying to help. hed blame her for not helping. hed blame himself too. uryu hadnt allowed the girl to carry the full responsibility of keeping the now dying boy in check. she shouldve noticed that he wasnt going to use the restroom. but he shouldve noticed that they werent side by side. it wasnt her fault, it was his. he shouldve noticed they werent side by side on the ice. shouldve noticed something was odd for the two never seemed to be far from eachother._

 _oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

 _"i thank you uryu. and i love you rukia."_

 _but they were side by side now. except this time it wasnt right. it wasnt right because of his words, his strained voice, his pained cries, his last breath, his fading heartbeat. those were the last things any of the three would ever truly hear._


End file.
